Some of Otago's 26 Leading Thinkers (clockwise from left) Professor Liam Mcilvanney, Stuart Chair in Scottish Studies; Professor John McCall, McKenzie Chair in Clinical Science; Professor Jim Mann, Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre; Professor Kurt Krause, Centre for Molecular Research in Infectious Diseases; and Dr Jennifer Moore, Legal Issues Centre.
The University's Leading Thinkers initiative will celebrate its 10th anniversary at a function at the Staff Club this evening.
The Initiative was Otago's first major development campaign, aiming to raise $50 million in five years between private sector donations and matched investment from the government.
Established in 2004 under the government's Partnership for Excellence Framework, the campaign aimed to support world class scholarship at Otago in areas considered vital for the nation's future well-being.
"What the Leading Thinker academics and their research centres have been doing over the past 10 years is astounding."
It raised $51.7 million for 27 new knowledge leader projects – from the Stuart Chair in Scottish Studies, to the Carney Centre for Pharmacogenomics, to the Edgar National Centre for Diabetes Research and Education. Academics were recruited from New Zealand and around the world to fill these prestigious and important positions.
Donors and the Leading Thinkers will get together at a function to celebrate the 10 year milestone this evening.
As part of the celebrations each will be presented with a limited-edition book featuring texts and photos highlighting the outstanding achievements of each research centre over the past decade.
Former Head of Alumni Relations Alison Finigan, who edited the book, says it is a way for the University to acknowledge the generosity of the donors and to update them on how the projects they funded are faring after 10 years.
“What the Leading Thinker academics and their research centres have been doing over the past 10 years is astounding. Bringing their stories together into a book really highlights what a difference a generous donation can make to advancing knowledge that is truly life-changing on a global scale